How to recycle / dispose scrap metal items - large

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How do I request a curbside scrap metal pickup for large metal items?

How do I cancel a scheduled scrap metal collection?

Call Montgomery County's Customer Service Center at 311 (or 240-777-0311) by 7:00 p.m. on the business day before your collection day. Thank you for the courtesy call!

What is scrap metal?

A rule-of-thumb is that scrap metal is any large item that is 51% or more metal.

What items are accepted as curbside scrap metal?

To qualify for curbside scrap metal collection, metal items must be larger than a trash bag or trash can.

Curbside scrap metal items may be up to 8 feet long. Longer items will not fit safely into the collection trucks.

We accept these general metal item types at the curb. If you have an item to be collected that is not on this list, please call 311 (or 240-777-0311).

• large household appliances
  • Examples include: air conditioners (including air handling units and compressors), clothes dryers, clothes washers, dehumidifiers, dishwashers, freezers, microwave ovens, refrigerators, stoves, wall ovens
  • To prepare your refrigerator or freezer for pickup:
    • Empty it of all contents.
    • Secure the doors shut, or remove them.
• bicycles
• metal cabinets
• metal doors
• exercise machines, including treadmills and weight benches
• fencing, chain link and wire (rolled for easier collection) - see more about fencing
• metal file cabinets
• grills
• iron furniture and railings
• lawnmowers
  • To prepare your lawnmower for pickup:
    • Empty mower of all fuel and oil fluids.
    • Remove batteries (if applicable) before placing your mower at the curb for pickup.
• metal sheds (must be disassembled)
• shower stalls
• metal lawn chairs
• sewing machines
• metal swing sets
  • To prepare your swing set for pickup:
    • Disassemble the swing set.
    • Remove any concrete from legs.
• Automotive parts weighing less than 60 pounds: Metal or steel car tire rims only. NO engines, mufflers, hoods, fenders, chassis, etc.

What additional scrap metal items are accepted at the Transfer Station?

At the Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station's scrap metal recycling area, we accept

• all of the items collected in our curbside scrap metal recycling program
• metal items of any size. Examples include
  • screws, nails, and other hardware
  • pots and pans
  • wire clothes hangers - see more about hangers
  • other small household metal items
  • riding mowers, drained of oil and gas
  • items which are oversized for curbside collection

There is no charge for delivering scrap metal items.

What items are not accepted in any of our scrap metal programs?

• Vehicles or automotive parts, weighing more than 60 pounds
  • These items are generally accepted by automobile parts recyclers or automobile wrecking and salvage businesses.
• latex paint or oil-based paint cans
• Oxygen or propane tanks, or other containers under pressure

Refrigerants

Please note that all refrigerants brought to the Scrap Metal Drop-Off area at the Transfer Station are evacuated from the appliance and either reused or recycled according to applicable environmental standards.